Opia
by CasualHipster
Summary: It wasn't simply her bloodline that infuriated Draco, it was how she always had an answer, how she challenged everything he had ever known without even the slightest intention of doing so. It was simply how she was, and he hated it. Draco x OC Lots of fun, in depth Ilvermorny inclusion. Slow burn.
1. Chapter 1

Helloooo beautiful people! Welcome to Opia, the fic that has been giving me wings the last few weeks. I won't keep you long, author's notes will be included at the end of the chapter. With the impending _Fantastic Beasts_ franchise I've just been beside myself with reading all the goodness Pottermore has to offer on the North American Wizarding World. Like many, I assume, I was left wanting more. So, without further adieu, I present to you a magical example of one of our oldest HP tropes become possible and believable canon. It's as completely fleshed out as I could personally manage, and I'm having an absolute ball writing it so I hope you have just as much fun reading it. Onward!

 **Please note:** This chapter is _very_ heavy on Ilvermorny/NAWC knowledge, but i think presenting it in a story makes it a blast to read!

* * *

It was a brisk morning on Platform 9 ¾, the last whispers of summer being whisked away by the autumn breeze. Old friends embraced as the conductor expertly charmed their belongings with a swift ' _reducio_ ', shrinking a years worth of luggage down for optimal transport ease. Incoming first years clung tightly to their parents, robes devoid of any House crests as they wracked their young minds over which one they would be sorted into. The Muggle-borns were the easiest to spot, eyes wise with bewilderment as they breached the brick entrance to the platform for the first time. Their childlike wonder was always a breath of fresh air, but Leah was well aware of the discourse within the magical community, even more so at its epicenter here in England. She knew that while Hogwarts' reputation preceded itself, it was also still teeming with the old notions of blood purity. The first years would learn this soon and abruptly, as most parents of non-pure blood descent would consider them too young to fully explain the complexities of magical bloodlines. However, even here in England, the obsession with blood purity was dying out with collapsing family trees and how easy it was to taint the line in this country. Had it been nearly anywhere else, a witch or wizard would have to marry a true Muggle to break the lineage purity. Many other countries these days cared very little about alienating Muggle-borns and half-bloods. Magic was simply magic.

Leah had arrived at the platform early that morning, trunks already shrunk and ready to board the second the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. The prospect of being caught up in a sea of returning students who would immediately recognize her as an outsider was less than appealing. As soon as the train screeched to a final halt she'd stowed away and resolved to observe the students she'd now be calling her classmates. Everything, she noted, was much, much different here.

Soon enough the bustling crowd thinned to a trickle of stragglers, and once those final few were boarded the high pitch of a steam whistle ripped through the air and the train rolled out of the station. The Hogwarts Express struck Leah as odd, for certain. In a world of magic and in a platform hidden from curious eyes, what honest need was there for a Muggle tech train? Surely it could just be charmed to follow the tracks, though perhaps it was a final piece of comfort for the Muggle-born first years before they were thrown head first into a world so drastically different from their own. The compartment she was seated in was still empty, but by the time the train had reached a steady pace there was a light rapping on the window. Looking up she noticed three other students, the front most being a girl with lovely honey colored locks tamed into a delicate wave. The other two were boys, but with them dodging passers-by in the narrow corridor she hadn't gotten a good look at them. Still, she smiled brightly and waved them in.

"Do you mind if we join you," the girl asked, "none of the other compartments have room for three."

"No, of course not. I'm not sharing it with anyone else so please, help yourselves."

The girl graciously accepted, waving her two friends in. One of the boys had a brilliant head of red hair, the other a disheveled, but still charming, mop of black.

"Hermione Granger," she said, extending her hand, "this might seem odd but, since you look about our age, why is it your robes don't have a crest?"

"Leah Blake, and because I don't have a House yet. Just transferred, Ilvermorny formerly."

It became very clear to Leah that her new travel companion was quite bookish, but it didn't bother her. She found herself oddly relieved as Hermione prattled on about all she'd read about the American school of magic. She was indirectly informing both of her friends, the looks on their faces making that abundantly clear. Surely the moment the rest of her classmates heard of her transfer there wouldn't be a single one quite as informed as Hermione.

"What brings you to Hogwarts then? I know Ilvermorny isn't quite as old but from what I've read the crop of witches and wizards it's produced for the global Dark Force Defense League is one of the best in the Wizarding community."

"That might be true, but recruiting for the DFDL can be a little... _aggressive_ at times. Given current turmoil though, maybe that isn't the worst thing, which is why my family's moved to England. Dad works as a liaison between the Ministry and the Magical Congress. Over in North America we've got all kinds of rules for wands, namely needing to carry a permit." Leah pulled a small laminate card from her pocket. "I know you guys don't do that here, but considering mine's an import I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd really hate to have it taken from me. I'm not sure on the specifics because Dad's been real hush about it, but from what I've gathered the Ministry is taking a step forward to try and beat back the Dark Forces. See, we register our wands because it helps prevent magical crime. By documenting each wands unique magical signature, Congress Forensics is about to match any residual magic left at a crime back to the wand that created it, and if they're lucky enough – track directly back to the wizard."

"Blimey, think of everything we could've sorted out by now if we'd already had that," the red-head chimed in. "Ron Weasley, by the way. My dad works for the Ministry too, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts."

Leah chuckled, "That what you call them here, Muggles? Non-magical people?"

"I mean yeah, what else are we supposed to call them?"

"Oh no, it's just that I'll have to add another British slang word to my list. In North America someone without magic is called a No-Maj, literally as in ' _no magic_ '. Gets the point across pretty quickly, not sure how you guys managed to come up with Muggles." Leah diverted her attention to the third member of Hermione's group. He seemed anxious, staring intently at the wall opposite him and bouncing his leg. "Sorry, don't think I've caught your name yet."

He looked up at her through his glasses with a look that could only be described as honest confusion, like he'd been caught off guard.

"Sorry," he finally mumbled out, "it's been a while since I've actually had to introduce myself. Harry Potter."

Understanding spread across Leah's face. "That makes sense. You're a celebrity around the community for sure, but we don't import many foreign papers so I couldn't say that I've ever seen a single photo of you." He smiled at that, and she realized it must not be that often that a perfect stranger doesn't swamp him with conversational nonsense. Still he sat there, chewing on his lip like he had something to say but tapping his fingers as if waiting for a moment he could finally say it. "Hey Hermione, where's the restroom?"

"Girl's lavatory is next carriage up, can't miss it."

Again she laughed, "Man, you guys have a word for everything, don't you?" She hadn't actually needed the restroom, but she thought maybe Harry needed to speak with his friends alone. While in the corridor of the carriage she made quick acquaintances with an odd girl handing out printed papers.

"Quibbler?"

"Would love one." Leah noted the oddly shaped glasses on the girls head. "Wrackspurts? Hate those nasty things, threw off my entire study schedule for my O.W.L.'s last year."

"American, how peculiar for Hogwarts. A few years ago Daddy and I did a survey of Fairygnats in the United States, lovely country."

"Ugh, Fairygnats are the worst, especially during the rainy season."

The girl in odd glasses seemed very pleased by Leah's knowledge of mischievous creatures, offering her a pair of Spectrespecs and a delicate handshake.

"Luna Lovegood, a pleasure."

"Leah Blake, nice to meet you."

"Better put those on, first week of classes is always a drill to see how much you remember!" Luna continued down the hall, handing Quibblers and Specs even to those who looked at her odd.

"Thanks!"

Leah put the prismatic Specs on her face, reveling in the odd, discolored shapes they projected into her field of vision. She was watching an odd shape float through the hall when she noticed Harry had left and decided to rejoin Ron and Hermione. She questioned the perturbed look on Ron's face until she realized her Specs were still on.

"Helps to see the Wrackspurts, a nice girl named Luna gave them to me."

"Figures it was _Loony_ ," he grumbled unintelligibly, earning a quick _thwack_ from Hermione.

"You might think they're silly, but I _definitely_ saw something in the hall just now. Seemed too big to be Wrackspurts though."

That had shut him up quickly, earning nothing but a deep gulp in return.

"Anyway, Leah, earlier you said you were worried your wand might be confiscated for being – imported? Why would they do that?"

"Oh, it's an entirely different league of wand. Not by power necessarily, but definitely by make. See, while a lot of American wands are made the same as the ones you'd see here, there's also a lot that are entirely different. Mine for example," she said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out her wand, "mine isn't just made with a wood species specific to America, the core is too. Redwood, eleven inches, wampus cat hair core. _Very_ flexible. Best for charms and hexes, good for potions too."

"Sorry, did you just say _wampus_ cat hair, as in one of the Ilvermorny Houses?"

"Yeah, that's another thing we do differently. Your Houses are named after their founding members, Ilvermorny was started by one family, so they named the Houses after magical creatures that best reflected the kinds of witches and wizards they wanted to teach there. I was a Thunderbird myself."

Ron's face scrunched up, trying to piece together everything he was hearing. "Thunderbird, so's that mean you're going to be in Ravenclaw?"

"Not...exactly? See, sorting at Hogwarts values what qualities you see or want to see in yourself while also considering what House you want to be in. At Ilvermorny the House chooses you because it's based on who you are fundamentally. Four Houses, four parts that make the perfect wizard. Thunderbird is soul, Wampus body, Pukwudgie heart, and Horned Serpent is mind. There's not much of a connective thread but I think Thunderbird would be closest to Gryffindor."

That caused him to perk up. "Bloody hell that'd be brilliant then. The three of us are in Gryffindor."

"Yeah it would be, but I don't think your Sorting Hat is going to have an easy time with me. My family hasn't attended Hogwarts for literal centuries, but we've still got a pretty rooted legacy in Ravenclaw."

"Oh that won't matter much," Hermione chimed back in, "almost everything except dorming is mixed Houses so I'm sure we'll see you plenty. Curious though that your wand has a wampus hair core but you weren't sorted into that House."

"I nearly was. See, when you get sorted at Ilvermorny you stand in this sort of chamber surrounded by statues of the four magical creatures. They've each been enchanted to move forward and claim students they want in their House. The only way you get to make a choice is if more than one moves forward. I swear I saw a glint in the Wampus' eye, but it stayed put. I'm not bothered though, hardly any witch or wizard to attend there has had the privilege of being chosen by more than one House."

Moments later the Hogwarts Express pulled to its final stop. Hermione and Ron excused themselves to find Harry, so Leah hopped in a carriage with Luna, a kind boy called Neville, and another littered with freckles named Seamus. In the first leg of the journey Luna was more than happy to tell Leah all about the thestrals pulling the carriages along and why she couldn't see them. For the watercraft portion she excitedly told stories of the Triwizard Tournament two years previous, the Merpeople that lived in the Black Lake, and praised Neville's excellence in herbology and helping Harry with that challenge. Neville's ears flushed a bashful shade of red.

When they finally reached the castle a crooked man named Filch ushered them up to the front gate. From there Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and Gryffindor Head of House as Neville had told her, directed returning students to the Great Hall and requested all others stay back with her. Leah bid farewell to her new friends, promising to meet up with them later. While they waited for the Sorting Ceremony to begin, Leah approached McGonagall and pulled her to the side.

"Ah yes, Ms. –"

"Leah, just Leah please."

"Of course dear, what can I do for you?"

"Is all of this fanfare really necessary? I know your Hat lets you choose if you want. I already know where I want to go I just –"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Leah, I truly am, but this is just the way things work here. You must be properly Sorted."

"You know the protective records on my family have been removed, right? You''l have to call me by my proper name and I just...don't want to deal with how everyone is going to respond to that."

The older woman's lips turned to hardened line. "I understand that, Ms. Leah, but there's really nothing I can do. Rest assured you won't be any worse off than Mr. Potter was when he first started here."

Leah huffed in defeat and returned to the back of the line. When the ceremony began they would call each first year alphabetically by last name, and since she wasn't a first year she was doomed to be Sorted last. That alone was enough to unnerve her, and the feeling only amplified when the large doors to the Hall finally creaked open and she felt her knees knock under every gaze directed at her. She stuck out like a sore thumb among the sea of measly eleven year olds. Her only reprieve was the waved greetings from the friends she'd made on the train. Nearly everyone sat at the Gryffindor table with the exception of Luna, who could be found amongst the Ravenclaws.

Slowly the herd in front of her thinned, until just one first year stood before her. Without much thought and a brief mention of family ties, he was promptly sorted into Slytherin. If every eye in the Hall hadn't already been on her, they were now.

McGonagall continued, "This year we have a special case, a sixth year transfer from Ilvermony."

Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Aurelia Ravenclaw."

* * *

 **A/N:** I told you there was a lot of information, didn't I? I hope it wasn't too boring, but with all of this new information out there I just _had_ to do something with it. Nearly everything involving Ilvermorny and the NAWC in this chapter is pulled from the pages of Pottermore. There are, of course, a few exceptions that I've included for plot device.

1\. Tis true, a lot of the Wizarding World doesn't seem to care nearly as much/to be nearly as strict about blood purity.

2\. Wand permits and tracking magic back to the wand is very much real, however I embellished it by adding the extension of tracking a strong enough trail straight to  
the wizard.

3\. I've always imagined that the Spectrespecs would be able to see Harry's Invisibility Cloak. For my personal head canon, I think she couldn't see him because he was  
laying still, unlike the Wrackspurts who were moving about. That's why I chose to have Leah see an odd shape moving around the hall.

4\. Fairygnats! Nope, those aren't real. I like coming up with funny little creatures, these ones are the worst when it rains because they hide in your house!

5\. Redwood and wampus cat hair are both components in American wand making. For Leah's wand I chose for it to be flexible because Redwood is naturally very soft so  
I would expect it to have some give. Redwood is now a protected species in America, so the wand she has is quite old which is why she'd hate to have it confiscated.

6\. Aurelia-lia-Leah, just in case it wasn't clear where that came from!

I'm pretty sure that's it for this chapter, but let me know if there's something that sticks out or anything you'd like me to elaborate on! I'd love to hear what you guys think, and I promise, that git of a Slytherin will be in the next chapter :)


	2. Chapter 2

Heya! So I mean _really_ I probably could have waited a bit longer to post this, but this story just makes me so happy and it was just sitting there so I just _had_ to.

 **SeaChelle1994:** Thank you, love! I'm really having a blast writing this so I hope it's just as fun to read

And a special thanks to **Hayley.** , **Rated-Rgurl89** , and **adgenelia** for being my first few subscribers, hope you guys like chapter two!

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Leah felt like she was walking the worlds most ostracizing walk of shame. The closer she got to McGonagall the more the tables around her erupted into a dull roar. Why they thought it was acceptable behavior just because they were barely out of her line of sight she had no idea. Still, this had been what she was expecting from the moment they had informed her of the sorting procedural.

Sitting down on the chair and exhaling one final calming breath before the hat was lowered on to her head, she looked for the students she'd met on the train. While their faces were plastered with the same look of shock as everyone else, they weren't gossiping and offered her a reassuring nod. She was relieved to know that their perception of her hadn't been altered too much, though she supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised when they kept the regular company of people like Harry Potter.

"Never did I think I would once again be sorting a true member of a founding Hogwarts family. This is a true, unexpected honor." No one living had ever heard the Hat speak so formally, but then again, up until a few minutes ago everyone had thought the Ravenclaw line had died out. "Sorted you into Thunderbird, did they? Not what I would have chosen, you seem like a Wampus to me..."

Leah chuckled, "That's what _I_ told them too."

"Even still...taste for adventure and courage would make you an excellent Gryffindor. Such superficial qualities though, both adoptable...Would be a shame to put you somewhere you didn't belong, especially with that raw nature of your...Enough nonsense!" The entire Great Hall was hanging on the end of the sentence, anticipating what would come next. "I should have known you wouldn't want to be anywhere else...RAVENCLAW!"

This was Leah's first time at Hogwarts, but she was certain with the way her fellow Ravenclaw's launched from their seats that the Hall had never heard cheering quite like that. She was hesitant in joining them, namely because she'd never wanted anyone to know she was of Ravenclaw blood unless it was absolutely necessary. Her bloodline was under international protection, being as ancient as it was, hence why they went by the moniker of Blake. She wasn't going to bother making friends that she couldn't gauge the authenticity of. Thankfully, as if anticipated from the very beginning, Luna had saved her a seat which she gratefully accepted. Now that sorting was done everyone was free to enjoy the feast, but instead of stuffing their mouths full people were letting words fall out of them instead. Leah tried to speak as loudly as possible, because the more people that heard her at once the fewer repeat questions she'd have to answer. She was still very aware of the other tables watching and eavesdropping, but no one had responded poorly until Leah heard a shrill voice shriek out behind her.

"There's just _no way_ this girl is an actual _Ravenclaw_. It's all completely made up to get attention I mean _honestly_ , don't you think we would have known that the lineage of a founding Hogwarts family was still intact? She's a _fraud_."

Leah turned around, making eye contact with the disgruntled Slytherin girl and sighing outwardly. The look she was giving her probably would have been threatening had it not been for her ridiculously up turned nose. Lifting herself from her seat she instead stood on it, staring down at all the faces she wished she could just hide from.

" _Sonorus_ ," Leah sighed, pressing the tip of her wand to her throat. "I understand that this is probably pretty confusing, so let me clear this up now for everyone. Helena Ravenclaw was the only daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. As the story goes, Helena stole her mother's diadem, which was said to grant wisdom to whoever wore it. Everyone assumed to was to make herself better than her mother, to step out of her shadow, but truthfully she stole it out of fear. Helena, pregnant out of wedlock, fled with the diadem it hopes that it would provide her with the answers she needed. She was later killed in Albania, but not before giving birth to a son, the sole heir to the Ravenclaw name. As the nature of her murder was unknown at the time, surface coat documentation was altered. To the world our last name was Blake, but to each other it's always been Ravenclaw. Now you can tell me I'm lying, if you choose to believe me it's of little consequence to me. At the end of the day Rowena Ravenclaw helped bewitch that hat, there is nothing living or dead that's going to be able to identify a Ravenclaw better."

The girls brow knitted together in frustration before she sunk back down into her seat, glaring daggers at Leah. McGonagall approached the Ravenclaw table.

"Seems our textbooks will need some updating thanks to you, Ms. Ravenclaw," she said, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at her lips as she glanced to the Slytherin table. "That was some impressive charm work, Professor Flitwick will be glad to have you." Leah nodded to the kind professor before she returned to the head table.

"I think perhaps you might be interested in meeting one of our House ghosts," Luna said, thumbing through her Quibbler, "She can be a bit prickly, but I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"That sounds great, Luna. Sometime soon, ok? I want to settle in first."

A warm smile spread across the younger Ravenclaw's face as she continued rambling to a boy named Marcus about the Dapperblimps of the Black Lake. She was explaining how they weren't actually native to this region when Leah heard sniggering from the Slytherin table.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Leah questioned, eyes honing in on the sneering boy in the middle.

"I'd stay away from that one if I were you, Ravenclaw. Don't let the Loony leech its way into your brain."

"I'm hardly worried. I'd say you might want to check yourself for Wrackspurts but it's obvious that it's only your over inflated ego fogging _your_ brain."

"How _dare_ you speak to my Draco like that," said the girl from the earlier outburst, clinging to his arm. He shrugged her off in defiance.

"Don't bother yourself with her, Parkinson. She's probably a filthy half-blood anyway."

"And what exactly makes you think you're allowed to pass judgment on my family? Is it because you're a proud Slytherin, House of the Blood Purists?" Leah stood from her seat once more and approached him. "Is it because you're notorious as a House for idolizing your founder's opinions on the matter?"

A smug look spread across Draco's face.

"Well buckle up, you _precious_ pure-blood, because you're never going to forget this history lesson. From what I gather you all don't learn a whole lot about North American Magical History, but Ilvermorny was founded by a descendant of Salazar. Isolt Sayre was her name. You see our opinions on blood relations are very different in North America, so when Isolt married, it was to a full-blooded No-Maj. Guess your precious House isn't as pure as you thought." Her words came out laced with venom, but didn't yield the kind of response she was hoping for. Draco looked at her, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What in the _hell_ is a No-Maj?"

"Ugh," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "You Brits and your slang are going to be the death of me. A Muggle, she married a full-blooded Muggle." The Parkinson girl shrieked while others around her whispered. "Guess they didn't do that good of a job keeping up with the family tree, did they?"

Turning on her heels Leah returned to the Ravenclaw table, welcomed back by a chorus of applause and a few stray hoots of enthusiasm.

"It's about time someone put that prat in his place!"

"I haven't seen anyone stuff him up like that except Potter!"

The rest of the evening continued without another verbal confrontation with Slytherin, though Leah could feel their hot glares on her back. Every now and again she would look over her shoulder and mutter _'evanesco'_ , making whatever snack Draco was reaching for disappear.

While disappointed that she wasn't rooming with Luna due to their age difference, Leah found Padma Patil and Isobel MacDougal to be just as kind, if not a little inquisitive. They were later joined by their other roommates, Sue Li and Lisa Turpin.

* * *

The following morning Leah made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She was delighted to see that House separation no longer applied, of course with the unsurprising exception of Slytherin. Sitting next to Neville Longbottom, she picked through an entire plate of scrambled eggs and roast potatoes while he told her about the school's herbology club. Herbology had never been her best subject, but Leah was happy to let him jabber on about something he was passionate about when he seemed so shy otherwise. Hermione and Luna had joined them while Neville spoke about the importance of fresh Asphodel in potion making.

"You're awake rather early," said Hermione when there was finally a break in Neville's herbology monologue.

"Could say the same for you, I wanted to have some extra time to find my classes."

"Oh, well yes I'm always up this early. Studying mostly, but especially first day so I can prepare properly according to my schedule."

"Early riser too, Luna?"

"Not typically, no, but you see a Garblespritz stole one of my socks and the awful draft woke me up. Funny creatures those are, always seem to prefer the left one."

"Maybe it's a regional thing? It was always the right back home."

The blonde offered her a warm smile in return for the new knowledge, excusing herself from the table so she could go write to her father about it.

"She's really a very sweet girl once you get past the...well, oddness."

"I don't really think she's odd at all. We've got elective courses on those creatures back at Ilvermorny. See, you guys actually have a lot more to offer when it comes to magical creatures here. Modern wizardry wasn't introduced to North America until it was colonized, which was _centuries_ after Britain. Maybe we're just looking in the wrong places for them because it's so different there, but _Magical Creature Theory_ fills in where the source material is lacking."

Hermione straightened herself up in her chair like Leah had just presented her with a new kind of magic, something of uncharted territory.

"I – I don't know that anyone's actually stood by Luna and her creatures like that before. Should have probably s-said something myself by now, all magic starts out as a discovery, r-right?" Neville stuttered as he spoke, ears tinging that familiar shade of red from the night before.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Neville. She doesn't seem like the type to let the Gadzingers get her down."

Leah looked up as she heard the familiar sound of tiny wings and a giggle-like hoot. Extending a finger as a perch so the owl could land, she unwound the comically large piece of parchment from its beak as it fluttered to her shoulder.

"Is that a _real_ owl?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Suppose you guys are used to bigger owls, huh? You'll see Ragnar scaring the first years once it gets too cold for this little one. Her name's Eloise."

"Bigger owls is one thing," Neville chortled, "I've had ice cream cones bigger than her."

"Well that's the difference in habitats for you. Elf owls are arid climate birds, and you can't be big when you're making your home in something as slight as a cactus."

"So...what's it doing in a climate like this, then?" Neville's ears were red again. "I'm not trying to be r-rude I swear I just –"

"It's fine to be curious, Neville. I figured I would have to answer a lot of questions when I started here, you're just helping me get the answers straight ahead of time so I don't look silly." Leah waited for his posture to relax before continuing. "See, the climates in North America vary a lot more than they do here. Frost bitten mountain tops, dreary rainy wetlands, and blazing deserts – you name it, we've probably got it. There's naturally a pretty big variance in what species you see in each region. Since the Wizarding community tries to stay as – _separate_ – from the No-Majs as possible, the southwestern community started breeding the local species to stay inconspicuous. The No-Majs think these little ones are going extinct, but truth is they've just been merged into the Wizarding world. The breeders introduced magic into the gene pool so they could handle the climate differences, but even still they can't stay for extended periods of time. That's why I'll have Ragnar flying around soon."

"Do you remember Hagrid from the carriages last night?" Hermione waited for Leah to nod. "He teaches Care of Magical Creatures here and has a penchant for imported species. I'm sure he'd love to meet Eloise."

"What do you think, Lo? Want to meet Hagrid?" The small owl giggled before accepting a small treat from Leah. "We'll have to stop by soon."

"So's that your class schedule then?"

"Hm?"

"The parchment she delivered, your schedule?"

Laughter erupted from Leah's throat.

"I completely forgot about that, maybe I should have slept a little longer after all."

"S-sorry for distracting you..."

"It's all right, Neville, but listen. You've got to stop apologizing, ok? At least to me, I'm not mad."

"Sure t-thing."

* * *

 **A/N:** ~It's the most _wonderful_ time of the fiiiiiic~ Now's when I give you a special peak into the chapter!

1\. The foundation of the Ravenclaw lore mentioned is true to canon, Helena stole the diadem to finally be better than her mother. I didn't quite favor how bitter that  
story was though, and I'd _like_ to think that the extension I've provided is a satisfactory manipulation of it.

2\. Luna wants to introduce her to a House ghost hmm? _Hmm?_ Don't worry, that'll come in later.

3\. Dapperblimps, garblespritz, gadzingers, oh my! Just more of my original critters!

4\. The Slytherin heritage of Isolt Sayre is also very canon. _However_ , Tom Riddle Sr. was a Muggle so one might automatically assume that the Slytherin line had already  
been tainted. It was pretty common that traitors to the family line were either excommunicated or murdered for their transgressions. So, when Tom Riddle murdered  
his parents the line would have been assumed pure against because _really,_ no one was going to fight the Dark Lord over him still technically being a half-blood. The  
revealing of Isolt Sayre's Muggle husband would mean that a line believed to have been pure had actually been tainted for roughly 360 years.

5\. Padma (obviously), Lisa, Sue, and Isobel are all canon characters for this sixth year class.

6\. Asphodel is a potion making ingredient, just seemed to make sense you'd want it fresh, no?

7\. _Magical Creature Theory_ is something I came up with when I was looking for some regional critters Luna and her father could have been surveying in North America.  
There is, of course, a serious lack of source material, but considering the Spectrespecs do actually show Wrackspurts reason would say there could be a whole world of  
invisible creatures out there waiting to be explored. A lack of physical creatures could have easily driven the North American Wizarding Community to explore more  
abstract theory, especially when it's mentioned on Pottermore how the colonizing magical folk had to learn a lot of new magic based on the plant species native there.

8\. ELF OWLS. Gosh darn it they are just the cutest things. Everything about those precious babies and other native NA owl species is original head canon.

 **So let me know what you think, yeah? Did I muck something up, is there something I could explain a bit further? Let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

Honestly guys, I'm really glad I had an exceptionally busy week otherwise I'm not sure I would have been able to wait to post this chapter. After talking with a friend and fellow FF author I decided it was best to update once a week so I don't blow through the small stockpile of chapters I already have and go floundering around trying to keep ahead. Doesn't mean it was easy though!

A kind thank you to all you sweet peaches who have favorited and followed this fic, and a very special thank you to adgenelia, Jen, and Jessie for your kind reviews! I really love doing what I can to flesh out the North American Wizarding Community so I'm glad you're all enjoying it.

 **As usual** , check the end of the chapter for a look inside the content!

* * *

Hermione had been more than helpful when she'd learned Leah would be in her potions class, making absolutely certain that she had everything she could possibly need plus a few suggested extras from previous years experience.

"You'll want to put your best foot forward, you see. Before when Snape was potions professor it was just about meeting expectations, but now we've both got good first impressions to make."

Leah smiled at Hermione's love for education, wondering how in the Wizarding world she'd managed to be sorted into any House but Ravenclaw. Once Slughorn arrived to the class, he summoned everyone to stand before a myriad of potions he'd brewed in advance. To Leah's dismay, the snide Slytherin girl from the night before was also in their class, but a warm smile spread across her face when she spotted Neville. The portly professor began his lesson, only to be interrupted a few minutes in by Harry and Ron enrolling last minute.

"Now as I was saying, I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any idea what these might be?" Instantly Hermione's hand shot up and Leah bit back another smile. "Ms. Granger, very impressed by your O.W.L. scores. I am, however, curious to see what caliber of potions student is produced by my colleagues at Ilvermorny. Ms. Ravenclaw?"

Leah blushed, caught off guard by the professor's forwardness. She nodded and smoothed out her robes while approaching the cauldrons. Before speaking she leaned over the first, observing and inhaling deeply.

"Well, since this one doesn't have any noticeable colors or fragrances – doesn't seem to be thick either...I'd have to say the truth potion, Veritaserum." Next she noticed the stench and chowder-like consistency of the second, fanning the air in front of her nose. "That one's definitely Polyjuice Potion. This one though," she said, approaching the final potion, "I think the appearance is enough to give it away to anyone familiar with it. Even without looking I know there's only one potion that smells like that. Amotentia, for sure."

"Very well done, Ms. Ravenclaw. I do think you'll do excellently in my class, ten points to Ravenclaw. Would you mind elaborating on what you mentioned about the Amortentia for those students who are unfamiliar?"

"Oh, well Amortentia is said to be the most powerful love potion in existence. Coupled with its powers of infatuation, it's meant to smell different based on what attracts each user. For me I smell rich cedar pine and petrichor – with the slightest hint of spearmint."

Slughorn had them competing for a rare vial of Felix Felicis, the winner to be decided by who produced the best batch of Draught of Living Death. Each student scurried to their station, eager to have as much time as possible to create a flawless potion. Leah shared a table with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Neville stood directly behind her with a few Gryffindors she recognized but didn't know the names of. After collecting the necessary ingredients, she laid her wand on the table and began preparing each to the textbooks specifications. She'd just set aside her beaker of water and African sea salt when she heard a familiar snigger behind her. Turning abruptly, she made direct eye contact with one Draco Malfoy before he'd had the chance to look away.

"Finally crawled out of the shadows, Draco? Didn't see you skulking when I first got here."

He scoffed at her, "I don't try and make a habit of being available to filthy little blood traitors. Your wand there, the mother of pearl in the handle...Jonkers workmanship, if I'm not mistaken. As good as it gets – as far as half-bloods go. Shouldn't be surprised, a half-blood wand for the half-blood Ravenclaw." The girl with the odd nose pawed at his arm, snickering.

"Seriously, is this how it's going to be every day, Draco? You'll make some stab at my blood status and I'll defend myself? The Ravenclaw's are the oldest pure-blood wizarding family still true to their namesake, so I'm not just going to stand by while you speak poorly of us."

"Still pure-blood? Blimey, so's my family but we're talking _centuries_ with yours," Ron added, beakers chattering in his hands.

"Yeah well, back in the day, there were still a lot of pure-blood families since they hadn't all been married off yet. When my ancestors moved to North America," she paused, grimacing slightly, "well, after a while there were certain _rules_ that kept it that way."

"What sort of rules d'you mean?"

Leah turned back toward Neville frowning, a pinch in her brow.

"What I believe Ms. Ravenclaw is referring to is _Rappaport's Law_. In the late 18th century a young witch was responsible for one of the largest security breaches the Wizarding community has ever seen. Secret locations were divulged and Muggles were killed in gunfire intended for the witches and wizards of the Magical Congress. The MACUSA issued an order for complete segregation from the Muggle community, anything more than necessary interaction was heavily punished."

"Seems like something we ought to have here."

"Don't you _dare_ say that, Draco Malfoy." Leah's eyes were squeezed shut, hands clinging to the edge of the table as if for dear life. "Rappaport's Law is widely regarded as one of the most shameful things the MACUSA has ever done. By isolating ourselves we stood out more, became bigger targets for anyone who knew where to look. Any No-Maj-born either had to cut off ties with the world they grew up in or be shackled by powerful magic suppressing charms the rest of their lives. Could you imagine asking a child that? Most of them were too scared to leave their families, so they'd get killed off by Scourers. We turned our backs on them, left them like lambs for the slaughter. It's been thirty years since it was repealed, some think it was inspired by the No-Maj Civil Rights Movement, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter so long as it _happened_. We have a day of remembrance for the witches and wizards lost, as if that's somehow going to clear our conscience."

There was very little conversation after that as everyone returned to their assignments. Leah noticed how her friends were struggling to cut up their sopophorus beans.

"It'll be easier if you crush them," she suggested while demonstrating. Harry glanced at his tattered potions book briefly before following suit. Hermione, however, wasn't so easily convinced.

"No, the directions say explicitly to _cut_."

"Then whoever wrote the book isn't up to snuff on their herbology. I don't remember what the effects are exactly, but what I do remember from my old Herbology class is how to open them, because the juice has naturally potent magic."

"She's right, you know," came the voice of Neville from over her shoulder. "Professor Sprout's had me growing these since third year. Powerful stuff it is, you drink the juice straight out of the pod and you'll forget the last few hours, lasts a day if it's ripe enough."

Hermione let out an exasperated _hmph_ before continuing on futilely trying to cut the beans, but every now and again when she thought no one was looking she'd crush a few. By the end of the period Leah's potion was nearly perfect, but Harry managed to barely edge her out. As they left the classroom she pulled him aside.

"C'mon Harry, I shared my trick. What's yours?"

Harry blushed slightly, taken aback before piecing together what she was asking about.

"Thirteen. Thirteen beans instead of twelve."

Leah pressed a single finger to her mouth.

"Sneaky, Potter. I like it."

* * *

Classes like Herbology and Charms seemed to be a mix of Houses, though unfortunately when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and her elective course of Arithmancy the time slots appeared to be reserved for Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Thankfully Leah shared Defense with Padma and Sue, as well as Isobel and Lisa in Arithmancy. She was, however, alone in terms of people she knew when it came time for Transfiguration. Well, people she was happy to know anyway.

"All right, students. Let's make sure we haven't lost too much footing over summer break. Pair off with the classmate to your right, though we have an uneven number of students from each House this year," McGonagall looked down at the students in front of her, "Ms. Ravenclaw, you'll pair off with Mr. Malfoy. If anyone is capable of it, it'll be you, dearie."

"Well?" Leah asked, looking left toward Draco.

"Well what?" He spat back.

"Are you going to come over here or not?"

It was Draco's turn to look left, where he saw Crabbe and Goyle taking up the rest of the bench. He looked back as Leah patted the empty space next to her and begrudgingly gathered his things, moving over to the next table.

"Let's make this easy, shall we, Draco? I don't care for small talk with people who are rude to me and I could not care any less about your family name. You'll do your portion of the work and so help me if you utter a _single word_ speaking ill of my family, Madam Pomfrey's not going to know what to do with the part of you I Transfigure. Understood?" He merely sneered at her. "Let's get started then."

* * *

"You're _joking_."

"Swear I'm not, 'Mione. Pretty much said I was the only one she thought was capable of handling him," Leah said between bites of her dessert.

"Probably the only one who wouldn't fall to his feet in a blithering mess is more like it. McGonagall saw you handle the git first night here, she knew what she was doing." Ron reached for another turkey leg. "So how'd it go? You're here so that's a good sign."

"Think he's run out of things to say, for now at least. Can't hold a candle to my blood ancestry, and I study hard so I'm not a mess in class. At the end of the day he's just trying to make himself seem important. Thing is, Daddy Malfoy doesn't mean anything to me so if that's going to be the card Draco plays he can put it right back in the deck because I'm not picking it up. Question though," Leah paused, pointing to her plate with her fork, "what in the hell am I eating? I've had probably three pieces already but I have no idea what it is."

Hermione laughed.

"It's bread pudding."

"It's like dessert french toast, like someone took the two best meals of the day and combined them into something so deliciously sinful I need to repent. Probably apologize to my thighs, too. Hey Harry, you alive over there?"

Harry's face popped up from behind his potions book.

"Hm? Oh yeah, just getting some reading done."

"That how you do it then, just spend all your time reading the book? Our lessons don't reach that far for weeks."

"Something like that, yeah. I only got an E on my potions O.W.L. so I'm trying to stay on top of things," Harry said, shrinking back into the textbook.

"Hey there, keep your nose out of that book a little longer, yeah? Quidditch tryouts are this weekend. Hear you're Captain this year, big shot."

"I'll be Captain, Ron'll be Keeper again. Reckon his younger sister Ginny will go out for Chaser this year too."

"Does Ravenclaw have tryouts the same day?"

"We've got the 9 AM slot, think Goldstein has you guys booked for noon."

"That mean we're going to be seeing you on the field then?" Ron's words were slightly muted by his mouthful of food. Leah wasn't sure whether to be horrified or impressed by how much he was eating. He'd probably packed away an entire bird by now.

"Well I've never seen the competition, but I'd love to try out. I'm a big fan of the Fitchburg Finches back home, though our school's Quidditch wasn't nearly as aggressive since we didn't really have House rivalries. Quidditch'll be one time I'm finally glad about that difference, though."

"What kind of broom you got?"

"Tell you what. I come and cheer you on, Ron, you stick around for my tryouts and you get to see."

"Deal."

* * *

 **A/N:** Another one down! Let's get down to the nitty gritty of what made this chapter go 'round!

1\. I'm not going to give anything _away_ , per say...but maybe remember a bit about Leah's Amortentia!

2\. That bit with the African sea salt is a real step in Draught of Living Death! I may get _way_ too into writing this fic some times.

3\. Jonker's is quite real! He's a half-blood American wand maker who's work is highly sought after for his signature Mother of Pearl inlays.

4\. _Rappaport's Law_ , also very real! Reasons mentioned are true to what's been written, though I've expanded on it with my own head canon. I tried to imagine what  
that kind of segregation would mean for No-Maj-born witches and wizards, and though it might seem aggressive I do think that would have been the case. What  
happened to the ones that stayed, also what I imagine happening. The time frame for its abolishing did coincide with the Civil Rights Movement, so whether a happy  
accident or not I decided to use that to my advantage. The day of remembrance is also head canon but fitting.

5\. Scourers are nasty magical bounty hunters that hunt down witches and wizards in the 17th century. I'll get further into head canon of why they're still around a little  
bit later.

6\. Sopophorus beans do actually have the ability to wipe a persons memory, though their effectiveness is writing of my own. I figured, should Hermione be presented  
with real reasoning as to how to properly cut them as opposed to Harry's cheat book, she would be a little more open to it. It just made canon sense for me to have  
Neville being the one to back Leah up.

7\. I know there's typically a bit more order to how Houses are separated into their classes, but for story purposes I fudged it a little. Besides, I gather class sizes would be  
a bit smaller with students only taking the ones that they tested into and that made sense to their career path at this point. Smaller classes would likely be lumped  
together.

8\. Anthony Goldstein, another piece of authentic HP canon. He's also a sixth year and was in the DA, though since there wasn't a Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain listed for  
sixth year he seemed like the perfect candidate!

9\. The Fitchburg Finches are one of two listed American Quidditch teams, the other being the Sweetwater All-Stars.

Thanks for hanging around! Let me know what you thought and if there's anything I can clarify!


	4. Chapter 4

Hang tight, we're about to Floo into the newest chapter of _Opia_! There's some fun, _much_ awaited dynamic development in this chapter, as well as in the next few that I'm very excited to share with you guys!

As always thank you to the darlings who have taken the time to favorite and follow this little fic of mine, I hope you're enjoying it! A very special thank you to **Aura** for your kind words last chapter, you make me blush!

Don't forget to check the end of the chapter for my content break down!

Without further adieu, let's all say it clearly now! Wouldn't want to end up somewhere testy like Borgin and Burkes.

 _Opia!_

* * *

Leah found herself in the stands that weekend with Hermione, cheering on a dreadfully awful Ron.

"He's been Keeper before?"

"Last year, yes. He's never been the most," Hermione flinched as a Quaffle rebounded off of his head, " _graceful_ , but he's certainly got the spirit and still gets the job done."

"And what about that one?"

"McLadden? Count your blessings, because if you'd run into him already, _you'd know_."

"Hm, eyes on the prize sort of guy?"

"Positively relentless."

Leah smiled to herself, pretending not to notice the _'confundus'_ she'd heard Hermione whisper as McLadden suddenly flew opposite the direction of the incoming Quaffle. Instead she focused on how that simple blunder lifted Ron's spirits for the remainder of tryouts.

"I'll catch you later, all right, Mione? I've got to get down to the Pitch." Leah grabbed a soft case from beneath her feet, presumably her broom, and made her way out of the stands. On her way down Luna spritzed her with a homeopathic blend Neville had helped her with, saying it would keep the Pinkywisps out of her eyes. She noted how Neville blushed at Luna's mention of him before giving a gracious ' _thank you'_ and meeting up with the other prospective team members. Leah latched on to Ron as he ran past.

"You better hurry up, you've got the time it takes us to stretch to be back in those stands."

"I'm going, I'm going!"

While they stretched on the field, Goldstein started his tryout spiel.

"All right then, Ravenclaws, welcome to Quidditch tryouts. I will be your Captain this year, and seeing as it's my last I expect nothing but the absolute best! No one is guaranteed a position, you either fight for it or walk away now. Good news is I can see all of you were smart enough to bring your own brooms, and from the looks of that case right there we've got someone who takes Quidditch seriously. What kind of heat you packing, Ravenclaw?"

Leah smirked, unzipping the case and pulling a golden handle out. By the time the ebony bristles were showing, Goldstein was practically on his knees in front of it.

"This is authentic?"

"One hundred percent, '95 release."

"And Madam Hooch approved it?"

"Said it didn't count as an unfair advantage because of the skill required to ride one."

What started as a low chuckle soon grew until full blown hysterical laughter erupted from his throat.

"Buckle up, ladies and gents, because you're all in for a real treat. Get this girl in the air, and _grab the snitch_."

* * *

Harry and Ron had just made it in to the stands as the prospective Ravenclaw Chasers took to the skies.

"You get to see it? Her broom I mean," Ron questioned Hermione.

"No, she kept it in that case the whole time."

"Gotta wonder what she's hiding. It's gotta be something –" A glint of gold shone off of Leah's broom handle, catching Ron's eye as she slowly lifted off of the ground. " _No way_. There's absolutely _no_ – Merlin, they're tossing the Snitch out for her? There's no way that's really a –" A sudden deafening crack ripped through the stands, causing Ron to run to the bannisters so quickly he could have flipped right over them. Leah was nowhere in sight. "Did you guys _see that_? Bloody hell, I never thought I'd see one of those in my life!"

"I didn't see much of anything really."

"That's exactly the point, Harry! Merlin's beard, you lot have no idea what you're witnessing, do you? That broom she's riding, that's a _Thunderclap_. Manufacturer only makes five of them a year, usually it's snot nosed collectors who bleed galleons snatching them up and throwing them in a display case. Leah's got one of 'em though, and she _rides_ it. Look at that she's already back on the field, _with the Snitch_!"

As Leah landed, Snitch in hand, Goldstein and a few other Ravenclaws rushed toward her.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything more incredible in my life, and we all do _magic_ ," Goldstein cried, lifting her off of the ground in a tight hug. "I swear I could kiss the ground you walk on right now. This here is Cho, our Seeker last season. You'll be taking over for her."

Making eye contact with her older Housemate, she frowned.

"You're a seventh year, though. I don't want to take away your last season as Seeker."

"You're not taking anything from me, promise. I was just the smallest on the team last year. Smaller, less air resistance, faster flier, you know? Only made practical sense to have me be Seeker, but I was never any more than decent at it."

"And with you in the skies now, oh the other teams will walk on to the field already defeated. This'll be the season firsties are told about for decades, done by an actual _Ravenclaw_ no less!"

"Just one question then," she paused, biting back a smile, " _when do we start_?"

* * *

"Where do you get off keeping something like that a secret?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, Ron! I know how much you love Quidditch, so I figured the experience would be better if you didn't know what was coming. Was I right?"

"Considering he just about fell off the edge of the stands, I doubt he'll experience much else like it in his life."

"Got that right. Can I see it, can I just _touch_ it?"

"You can hold it if you'd like," Leah offered, Ron looking like he'd just been handed his first born as she put it in his hands. "I'd let you ride it, but they aren't built for your body type. Hundred sixty-five centimeters and under, sixty kilos or less. That's why girls usually make the best seekers, less body to move around. Not to mention, the whiplash on a first time rider is a doozy."

"Hell, I can't wait to watch you beat the snot out of _Malfoy_ on that thing."

* * *

By the time the weekend was over, word of the Ravenclaw tryouts had reached every corner of Hogwarts, even down in the Slytherin dungeons.

"You hear what everyone's saying, Malfoy, about that Ravenclaw girl?"

"From what I've heard not a lot of people got to see it, mostly because who goes to watch _Ravenclaw_ tryouts, but they've been saying –"

"Would you two morons _shut up_. Ravenclaw this, Ravenclaw that. You're a _Slytherin_. She got Seeker because she's got a pretty last name for their roster. Whatever it was it's not going to matter once we the season starts and we _obliterate_ them. Understood?"

Draco was tired of hearing people talk about Aurelia Ravenclaw. It was bad enough with he had to deal with Potter's celebrity, now he had to deal with her and all the classes they shared together when he had much more important tasks to be focusing on. Still, he couldn't quell his curiosity when the relentless gossiping about the Ravenclaw Quidditch team never seemed to die down. Draco never would have outwardly admitted to spying on their practices, but when he happened to be walking by during one of Ravenclaw's booked time slots he needed to put that nagging voice in his head to rest. Paying absolutely no attention to the rest of the team, his Seeker trained eyes sought out Leah. He didn't dare approach the stands, lest he be seen skulking about. Given how erratic the flight pattern of the Snitch could be he assumed she'd be outside of the Pitch anyway. Eventually he spotted her, descending in a spiral around one of the stands after a tiny flash of gold. It was clear she wasn't trying to catch it, opting to practice quick response times to it's jolting on what looked like a Nimbus 2001. Clearly she knew what she was doing, but as far as the talk around the castle went Draco was both sorely disappointed and smugly satisfied. Of course he'd known all along that these tales of her Quidditch grandeur were nothing if not tall tales, but still a part of him had wished she'd present an honest challenge. It was mid-October and already a month had passed since tryouts, but Slytherin and Ravenclaw weren't due for their match until the end of February. Given the dark undertone Draco's assigned mission from the Dark Lord presented this year, it had been his hope to have a new worthy opponent. He had grown bored with his games against Potter, he knew his tactics and flight patterns like the back of his own hand, and he certainly wasn't going to get anyone worth mentioning from Hufflepuff, so Aurelia Ravenclaw had been his last hope. With a dissatisfied sneer he turned and walked back to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

Another week had passed since Draco had watched Aurelia at practice. It was now just a week before Halloween, and most importantly to most of the students, the Halloween Hogsmeade trip.

"Haven't heard you prattling on yet about which girl's time you're going to waste this year, Zabini. Have even the tramps wised up to your tactics? No one wanted to give your ugly mug a second look?"

"Don't be an arrogant prat, Malfoy, we both know that's not true. A lady's time is never wasted if it's spent with me. I have my date, I'm just taking my time... _calculating_ it."

"Well go on then, don't leave me curious like you're trying to hide some crush on a _Mudblood_."

Blaise glanced sideways at his prodding companion. Their dynamic was an odd one, somewhere nestled in mutual respect between friends and enemies. "The new one, Ravenclaw."

"Bloody hell, _Avada_ me now."

"Don't be so dramatic, Malfoy. I could have done much worse but I _do_ have standards."

"Could've fooled me, Zabini. Slumming is still slumming regardless of the name attached to it."

"You're really too petty for your own good sometimes, you know. Do you really think I'd go offering my company to just anyone? If you'd have taken your head out of your arse for two seconds when she started here you'd have done the same as I did and _checked_. She's one of the best looking things walking around this castle _and_ pure-blood, whether you want to admit it or not. I'm not just going to let all of _that_ flounce on by without taking a stab. You'd have to be mad, or just a git like you."

"Well I'm sure I'll see the two of you stumble through the common room at the end of the night, then," Draco huffed, resuming work on his potions essay.

"Not going, then? _Nobody wanted to give your ugly mug a second look_?" Blaise teased.

"Don't be absurd, I'll take all the time I can possibly get away from Parkinson."

It was only a half truth. Draco did enjoy the idea of being Pansy free for the day, but truthfully there were other things he needed to see through that were more important than a pint of Butterbeer or a coerced glass of Firewhiskey.

* * *

Three weeks, it had been three weeks since Draco's last attempt on Dumbledore's life was foiled because of a flimsy piece of fabric. They had passed in the blink of an eye. Now mid-November, his thoughts became crowded with half-baked murder plans and Quidditch formations. The first game of the season was later that day. It ought to have been Slytherin-Gryffindor. It wasn't.

"Stupid Potter, mucking up everything," he spat, pushing his breakfast around his plate, disinterested.

"Chin up, mate. At least Ravenclaw is easier on the eyes."

Earlier that week Harry had taken a rogue Bludger to the head during practice. His fracture had been easy enough to repair, but Madam Pomfrey refused to clear him for game play, saying it was important that he take the time to heal properly. Ginny Weasley had been their substitute Seeker, but with Dean Thomas on academic probation for his marks in Transfiguration there would have been no one to fill her spot as Chaser. Proper procedure would have been to have Gryffindor forfeit the match, but since no one wanted to see that happen, Ravenclaw had offered to switch dates.

"Being nice to look at's not going to matter much when Slytherin _decimates_ her team. Sacred-29 or not, she needs to be put in her place."

Aurelia Ravenclaw infuriated him. Five years, five _glorious_ years being the crowned Prince of Slytherin, being untouchable, unapproachable, being on a level entirely separate from every other student in that insufferable school. Everyone knew his name, not like Potter who skated in on mere coincidence that made him famous, but because people feared him, respected his family name. Then in comes Aurelia Ravenclaw, simply the most nauseating combination possible of the two rivals. Respected for the family name he'd bothered to check for purity to soothe his ego, admired by her peers for her kindness and friendly disposition. Each day that had passed since the beginning of the term she had chipped away at the pedestal Draco had raised for himself. She didn't fear him, didn't shy away from telling him off and putting him in his place, wasn't deterred by the righteous scowls and sneers he'd spent years perfecting. She was completely unphased by him, the only reaction he seemed capable of fostering from her was anger. Not the kind of anger spawned by shame, but well founded rebuttal. The more he found himself passively obsessing over her, the more outraged he became. No matter what he seemed to try, suddenly she was the untouchable one.

"So then you finally admit she's good to look at _and_ you finally did your research. Five points to Slytherin, denial's not a flattering look on you, mate."

"Shove off, you prat."

"Reckon Slytherin knocking the wind out of their sails will work twice as well in my favor. Sure we'll win, but I'm sure the lady will need some tender company and consoling afterward."

"Merlin what's that, nearly a month now since The Three Broomsticks? You've lost your touch, Zabini. You ought to be on at _least_ number three by now."

Blaise's mouth twisted into a light scowl. "I'll admit certain things are taking... _longer_ than expected. Timing is everything, though, and with a last name like Ravenclaw I think I'm willing to play a longer game. She's a right minx."

"Bloodline or not she's still a filthy blood traitor with no respect for how these things work. Hold yourself to a higher standard."

"I'd bet good money on any pure-blood family being more than willing to overlook that if it meant marrying their son off to a genuine Ravenclaw. The prestige would be too tempting."

Draco tuned Blaise out as he rambled on about the complexities of pure-blood marriage arrangements. Anything on the matter and he instantly feigned deafness, being all too annoyed when reminded of the Malfoy's liking of the Parkinson name. He was raised knowing that was how it would be, and he probably wouldn't have minded it as much had it not been for the mystery of how two exceptionally stunning aristocrats produced such a decidedly average daughter. Clenching his jaw to prevent a verbal outburst directed at Blaise, Draco excused himself from the Slytherin table not a few moments after he had seen Leah do the same, following a reasonable twenty paces behind into the hallway. Weeks of restraint, of desperately trying to find one flaw in her legendary pedigree and he was ready to burst. To hell with waiting for the match.

"Nearly ready to eat bristles then, Ravenclaw?"

"Honestly Draco, you're getting predictable. If this is how it's going to be try not to bore me so much," Leah sighed, turning toward him as she pulled her jersey over her head.

"I think two months buried under the illusion you stand a chance is cruel, even by Slytherin standards. I've seen your practices. Not bad, but I reckon Goldstein was more focused on getting in your knickers than finding a talented seeker." Draco smirked as she stomped toward him, expecting her to draw her wand in an empty threat to jinx him. She came in like a Hogbat out of hell though, forgoing her wand and using the full force of both hands to shove him into the wall before he'd even registered that they'd made contact. She pressed closer still, mere inches away before she yanked down on his tie, forcing a crane in his neck until they were eye to eye.

"Listen up, _Malfoy_. You talk a big game for someone who hasn't seen the other players cards. Trouble is I'm calling your bluff because you have _no_ idea what's coming for you. Everyone's going to think your rich daddy got us a new Pitch by the time I'm done wiping it clean with you." Leah spat her words at him, each one heavy with the same intentions they represented. She sauntered off, leaving Draco to fix his tie with a dangerous scowl on his face.

He was absolutely fuming, how _dare_ she put her hands on him like that? How dare she have the gall to _threaten_ him? If he wasn't hellbent on victory before, there was certainly no turning back now. Draco stormed toward the Pitch, livid over what had just transpired but also berating himself for the thoughts that came after. He should have been systematically planning her demise, but Draco found himself tripping over the realization that for the first time since they'd met, she'd called him Malfoy instead of Draco – and he did _not_ like it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Honestly, Draco...when will you learn? This chapter brought about something I'd been laying in subtly in the first few chapters. Had you noticed, unlike nearly everyone else, that Leah was calling him Draco instead of Malfoy? If I had to guess there's _probably_ a reason for that, and, if there was, it would _probably_ be explained in a chapter soon. Are you catching my drift or have you been Confunded? Now for some insight to this chapter!

1\. Pinkywisps, another one of my silly creatures. I absolutely could have just had Leah run into Luna alone in the stands, but I'm just such a sucker for Lunville that  
I _had_ to give them some more content together. Hogbats are mine too!

2\. The _Thunderclap_! This guy is another one of mine. I figured, since there was a whole repertoire of product variations unique to the North American Wizarding  
Community, why not brooms too? The specifics of this one arent just thrown in willy nilly, they serve a very important purpose to the plot next chapter!

3\. I've shifted the Quidditch schedule a bit as I'm sure (maybe?) you've noticed. A little Gryffindor team dichotomy: Ginny is on the roster as Reserve Seeker and Dean  
Thomas is actually Reserve Chaser. There simply weren't enough players to shift around, but the Slytherin-Gryffindor match will still happen with all intended content  
as it has in the book, just a bit later in the school year.

4\. This isn't content, just a general comment about how Blaise and Draco are my BrOTP and honestly give me life.

5\. I'm literally still laughing over the line " _Avada_ me now". I think it's such a funny way to, essentially, say "kill me now" in the Wizarding community. I'm sure you've  
seen it throughout the site, but it's really one of my favorite things so I just had to include it.

6\. Let's get physical, physical! Maybe we just shouldn't anger Leah...yeah that sounds like a good idea. Question is, Draco's been harassing her for months and she's  
been cool as a cucumber. Why the sudden outburst?

Let me know what you guys thought, and don't forget to say your destination _clearly_ on the way out!


End file.
